Central High School lineman Kevin Carter has committed to sign a football scholarship with Central State University, an NCAA Division II school in Wilberforce, Ohio, about 18 miles east of Dayton. The Marauders are coached by former Alabama and NFL linebacker E.J. Junior, and the 6-foot-1, 270-pound Carter is expected to play on the defensive line.
Central State reinstituted its football program in 2005 after a nine-year hiatus. The athletic program is under the direction of NFL Hall of Fame receiver Kellen Winslow.
“I liked the fact that there are a bunch of coaches at that program with NFL experience,” Carter said. “And the most important thing is I have family less than 50 miles from campus, so I know I’ll be in good hands.
“I know I have to continue to work hard and be dedicated. It felt good to have a program that interested in me, and now that all the pressure is off, I can just get ready to play college football.”
East Hamilton exhibit
East Hamilton is inviting prospective students from kindergarten through fifth grade to attend tonight’s high school basketball games and high school and middle school wrestling matches free of charge. Also, parents can receive a dollar off the regular $5 admission by bringing a flyer that can be printed from the school’s website, www.easthamiltonhurricanes.com.
“This is a showcase for elementary school kids that want to come to our school,” girls’ basketball coach Derek Morris said.
The varsity basketball teams are hosting Hixson, starting with the girls’ game at 6. The middle school and high school wrestlers will take on Signal Mountain in another gymnasium, beginning also at 6 with the middle schoolers.
Morris said that although the concept is to target probable East Hamilton students, elementary students who have older brothers wrestling for Signal Mountain or siblings playing basketball for Hixson also will be admitted free.
TATS tabs Williams
Robbie Williams, a Center for Sports Medicine athletic trainer who works with GPS, was awarded the President’s Award of Merit by the Tennessee Athletics Trainers’ Society at its recent annual meeting. That is regarded as TATS’ second highest honor.
Williams was singled out for not only his work with GPS athletes but also for his contributions to the TSSAA’s statewide sports medicine program and the Tennessee Sports Medicine Advisory Council.
Area girls in state
Rhea County, Soddy-Daisy, Signal Mountain and McMinn County placed in the top 10 of the first Tennessee Girls’ East Regional wrestling tournament at Science Hill in Johnson City.
Science Hill won the regional. Rhea County and Soddy-Daisy shared sixth place, Signal Mountain tied for seventh and McMinn was 10th.
Best match went to Kelly Wood of Rhea County and Gabby Sawyer of South Doyle at 114 pounds. Wood won it.
Other area qualifiers for the state tournament Feb. 17-19 at Franklin are Signal Mountain’s Catherine Agnew (127 pounds) and Kelly Riccio (132), McMinn County’s Abril Lara (140), Rhea’s Nicole Beskin (187) and Soddy-Daisy’s Brittany Rice (140), Libbie Chapdelaine (150) and Samantha Vincent (157).
Lyon three-peats
Although Matt Lyon never was able to get that elusive state championship as a Soddy-Daisy bowler — he was the individual runner-up in 2009 and helped lead the Trojans to a second-place finish last year — he became the TSSAA’s Mr. Bowling winner for the third consecutive year as a senior.
The Trojans reached the Division I semifinals Saturday at Smyrna. One of the other two Mr. Bowling finalists this year was Kaleb Langston, one of Lyon’s teammates.